toil 1 of 3

toil

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in tangle
usually toils plural something that catches and holds a married woman hopelessly caught in the toils of an extramarital affair

Synonyms & Similar Words

toil

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun toil contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of toil are drudgery, grind, labor, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When would drudgery be a good substitute for toil?

Although the words drudgery and toil have much in common, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than toil?

The words grind and toil can be used in similar contexts, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

Where would labor be a reasonable alternative to toil?

The words labor and toil are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When could travail be used to replace toil?

While the synonyms travail and toil are close in meaning, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When is it sensible to use work instead of toil?

The meanings of work and toil largely overlap; however, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of toil
Noun
The film is trying quite hard to be a bracing and immersive depiction of rehabilitation’s hard toil. Richard Lawson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025 Lit Witches Double, double, toil and trouble! Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
At first glance, Nam-Joon Cho’s lab at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University looks like your typical research facility—scientists toiling away, crowded workbenches, a hum of machinery in the background. Sandy Ong, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025 Holmes toiled for a decade in the minors before his first MLB call with the Braves in 2024. David O'Brien, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for toil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toil
Verb
  • These women, many of whom worked in relative obscurity for all their lives, labored to redefine the rights and dignity of all people.
    Time, Time, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Hammond labored 50 hours over a two week span to create her project.
    R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The arrival of Clark and other high-profile young players have contributed to a boom in popularity for the long-struggling league.
    Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
  • The Broncos are 2-2 and coming off a dominating 28-3 victory over the struggling Cincinnati Bengals.
    Hunter Simpson, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Let it never be said that Taylor Alison Swift doesn’t strive to be amazing.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
  • This is especially true for the young Latine children and families who are striving to learn the local language and customs of a country that’s already waging war against them.
    Priscilla Blossom, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Two of her three children attend the center full time while Wentland juggles part-time work and a full-time class load; her husband works full time.
    Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Perez said community members and law enforcement need to work together in order to combat violent crime.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Toil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toil. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on toil

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